Indicator



May 27, 41924. 1,495,707

l. MARINO INDICATOR Filed May 8. 1923 FIG-2. J

F'G- 7 mum Patented May 27, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT' OFFICE.

INDICATOR.

Application led May B, 1923. Serial No. 637,539.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IGNAZIO MARINO, a subject Of the King of Italy,residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Indicators, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inindicators and particularly to that type designed for use in hotels oroliices for indicating the whereabouts of different persons, indicating`vhetlier or not they are in'their hotel or oices, absent therefrom,sick and the time when their return is expected.

The primary object of the invention resides in the provision of anindicator easing adapted for mounting upon a wall board or other supportpermitting a plurality of indicator casings to be so mounted with theindicator casing so constructed to permit the substitution of desiredname cards whenever desired.

A further object of the invention is to provide an indicator embodying apair of rollers cari' ing indicia upon the peri heries thereof wit anovel means of rotatab y supporting the rollers Within the indicatorcasinfr.

Vith the'above and other objects in view as the nature of the inventionis better understood', the same consists of the novel form, combinationand arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in theaccompanying drawing and claimed.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an indicator constructed in`accordance with the present invention, the mounting board beingillustrated as supporting a single indicator casing,

Figure '2 is a top plan view of the inner block of the indicator membershowing the separate pocket in which the indicia carrying rollers arejournaled,

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the indicatorshowing the indicator rollers journaled'therein, the rollers beingjournaled in the inner block and removable casing,

Figure 4 is an end elevational View of one end of the inner block,

Figure 5 is an end elevational view of the other end of the block,

Figure 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the indicator and aportion of the mountin boar-d therefor, and

ligure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of one of the indicatorrollers.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawing, the indicatorcasing is illustiated as removably mounted upon a supporting wall boardor other hanger, the wall board 1 being centrally and longitudinallygrooved as at 2 with the opposite side walls of the roove inclined as at3 to form a dove-taile -shaped slot While edge strips 4 are secured tothe front face of the boar-d 1 forming a frame structure, the upperstrip 4 being removably secured to the board to permit mounting of theindicator casing as hereinafter described.

The indicator includes a block 5 carrying a dove-tailed-shaped plug 6upon the bottom face thereof adapted for sliding and interlockingengagement in the slot 2 of the mounting board 1, the lower side of theblock 5 being cutaway as at 7 and 8 to provide arcuate cavities orpockets 9 and 10 that are separated by the partitions 11 arrangedadjacent one end of the block forining a relatively long pocket 9 and arelatively short pocket 10, the pockets 9 and 10 Opening at the lowerends of the upper sides of the slot 5 and also at the lower end thereof.The upper face of the block 5 is longitudinally grooved as at 12providing spaced ribs 13 as clearly shown in Figs. 4 to 6.

A transparent glass plate 14 is mounted on the upper face ofthe block,the same being supported by the ribs 13 and adjacent edge of thepartition 11 and is retained in position thereon by a casing having anouter wall 15, end walls 16 and 17 and upper and lower Walls 18, theupper and lower and end walls engaging the block 5 as shown in Fig. 6,the outer wall 15 of the casing enclosing the sides and ends of theblock 5 and abutting the transparent glass plate 14. .The casing wall 15is provided with a longitudinally extending Opening 19 adJacent theupper end thereof that is alined with the groove 12 in the upper face ofthe block 5, the loWer end of the casing Wall 15 being provided With alongitudinally extending opening 20 alined with the pocket 9 While athird relatively short opening 21 in the casing Wall 15 registers withthe pocket 1t). The end wall 16 of the casing has a slotted opening 22formed therein that registers with the groove 12 in the block 5 forpurposes presently to appear.

Rollers 23 and 24 are journaled in the pockets 9 and 10 respectively,each roller carrying an axial bearing in 25 at one end thereof that isjournaled in the partition 11 While the opposite end of each roller hasa threaded opening 26 formed axially thereof, the end of each roller 23and- 24 having the threaded socket 26 bein pr0- vided with an` eccentricopening 27. ivot ing and operating screw buttons 28 have the threadedShanks thereof passing through the end walls 16 and 17' of the casing tohe threaded into the sockets 26 with the rollers 23 and 24 journaled inthe partition 1l and end walls 16 and 17. In mounting the screw button28, a pin is passed through an opening 30 in the end walls of the casingand enters the openings 2 in the rollers 23 and Q4, holding the rollersstationary duringthe mounting of the screw buttons 2S and also forholding the rollers against movement when the screw buttons are removedwhenever desired. The roller 23 is provided with suitable indicia 23,such as Sick, In, Ont- Return, while the roller 24 is provided withindicia 24a indicating time, a naine card 31 being inserted through theslot 22 in the end Wall 16 of the casing to be received in the` groove12 and viewable through the casing opening 19, the rollers 23 and 24being disposed rearwardly of the openings 2.0 and 21 in the casing cover15 as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

From the above detail description of the device, it is believed that theconstruction and operation thereof will at once be apparent, it beingnoted that the indicator is especially adapted for use in hotels,olices. or similar places, the mounting board 1 be ingr of a size tocarry a plurality of indicator casings that are removably interlockedtherewith with each indicator being independently operable as abovedescribed. The rollers- 23 and 24 are independently rotatable and toremove the same from the indica-tor casing and block, the rollers areretained against movement by a key or pin entering the registeringopenings 27 and 30 in the rollers and end Walls of the casing, holdingthe rollers stationary while the screw buttons 28 are removed therefrom,the screw buttons forming;r end bearings for the rollers and alsolocking the rollers and casing to the block 5.

While there is herein shown and described the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minorchanges may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention as claimed. f, i

What is claimed as new is:

1. In an indicator of the type described, a bloc-k having pockets formedtherein, a removable casing'-enclosing vsaid? block having openingstherein with certain ones of the openings overlying said pockets,indicia carrying rollers in the pockets journaled in the block andcasing, a name plate removably supported by the hlookand View able,through. one of the casing openings, the roller yonrnals, supported bythe easing een* stituting rotating means for the rollers which areseparable from both the easing and roller, seid casing having aperturestherein adjacent the outer ends of the rollers and said rollers eaohhaving an opening in its outer end adapted for the reception of a keywhen` the casing and roller apertures are alined to permit disconnectionof the jourY nale at the outer ends of the rollers from the said rollersand casing` 2. In an indicator of the type deseribethe block, aremovable casing enclosing the blocln rollers journeled et their ends inthe block and casing with the iournals between the rollers and easingforming an. interlock-f ingV connection between the bleek and eas,1 ingand embodying screw buttons journaled in the casing `and threaded inadjacent eIldS of the rollers.

3. In an indicator of the type described, a block, a, removable casingenclosing the block, rollers journaled at their ends in the block andcasing with the journals between the rollers vand casing forming eninter-V locking connection between the. blocks; and casing and embodyingscrew buttons jours naled in the casing and threaded in ed- ]acent endsof' the rollers, said casing and. adiacent ends of the rollers havingOpen ings therein adapted to alinel upon rota# tion of the; rollers forthe reception of a key to retain therollers stationary 111- per mittingremoval ofv the screw buttons end separation of the casing from theblock.

4. In an indicator o' the type described, a block, a removable Casinenclosing the block, rollers jonrnaled at t eil' ends in the block andcasing with the journals between the rollers and casing forming aninterlocking connection between the block and casing' and embodyingscrew buttons jonrnaled in the casing and threaded in adjuvant ends of'groove portion in the outer face thereof, the casing having openingstherein part of which expose the rollers and block groove, one of saidrollers carrying information suoli as 111, Out-Return, Busy--Until, andSick, another roller carrying time characters and a name plate removablypositioned in the groove through one of the openings in the casing.

5. In an indicator of the type described, a block cutaway to providespaeed pockets separated by a partition which forms an integral part ofthe block, a removable casing enclosing the block, indicia carryingrollers journaled in the partition and end Walls of the casing formingan interlocking connectiongbetween the block and casing, said casinghaving openings therein part of which expose the rollers, and a nameplate removably positioned to be supported by the block throu h one ofthe casing openings and viewa le through another of the casing openings.

In testimony WhereoiI I aix my signature.

IGNAZIO MARINO.

